Records and departures at thatgamecompany

It’s been a busy day at thatgamecompany with a few interesting news stories.

The day began with creative director Jenova Chen announcing on the US PlayStation Blog that the majestic Journey has become the fastest-selling game ever released in the SCEA region on the PlayStation Network. Yep, everyone’s favourite expedition has officially broken sales records. Thoroughly deserved, too. Chen said:

“Hello, PlayStation.Blog readers. It has been an exciting two weeks for us since we launched Journey on PlayStation Store. We see the personal connection between our work and the players, which is the most real and priceless reward for us. For that, we thank you so much for your support, for spending time and money to play our game and for spreading the word about Journey to your dear friends and family. “

Chen also announced details of an upcoming release of Journey’s popular soundtrack composed by Austin Wintory. It will be available for download on iTunes and the US PS Store on 10 April and there will also be a limited edition CD release in the near future.

A bigger story, however, was the news that co-founder Kellee Santiago is moving on to pastures new. Santiago says the split is “entirely amicable”, revealing that it’s time to explore new areas. Santiago told Gamasutra:

“After doing these three games, I think it was a really great opportunity for all of us to look at what we’ve learned and what I’ve taken from that experience, and go forth and take it into new arenas.”

Santiago formed the studio alongside Chen six years ago. After showing promise with their debut game Cloud, thatgamecompany went on to work with Sony in creating the fantastic FlOw, Flower and now Journey for PSN. We raved about Journey in our review, but we’re also major Flower fans. It even topped out Top 20 PSN games list.

Santiago has obviously impressed through her fantastic work, but she’s also been great for the gaming community. She’s been particularly helpful to PS3 Attitude in the past, supporting our charity endeavours, and we’d like to wish her the best of luck in the future. If her next game is anywhere near as creative and beautiful as her last games, she’ll be flying.